Decapitation, dismemberment, and deer antlers come together in one brutal Iron Age gravesite
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Humans were around significantly more death during the Iron Age than we are today, but many final moments were still far less preferable than others. In fact, certain examples uncovered in the Iberian Peninsula (much of present-day Spain and Portugal) are so rough that some archaeologists classify them in their own “bad death” collection of demises. After recently examining remains originally excavated in 2010, researchers say two men buried over 2,200 years ago about 115 miles south of Madrid certainly fall within the definition of the term bad death.
The bodies were uncovered outside the ancient fortification (or oppidum) known as Cerro de las Cabezas, and date back to the late 2nd or early 3rd century BCE. During that time, Iberians across southern and eastern Spain typically cremated their dead before burying the ashes in urns, often next to various items indicating their social status and identity.
The two men were interred under very different circumstances, however. Instead of cemetery burials, archaeologists found them outside the settlement’s southeastern defensive wall,without any signs of formal graves, coffins, or a considerate arrangement of their bodies. This suggests a quick disposal and possibly even a hasty burial.
They also didn’t die from natural causes. The first man (likely 35 to45 years old) previously endured a blow to the front of his skull a few weeks before his death. While that didn’t kill him, a deep cut across his lower right femur using a sharp edged weapon likely caused him to die due to blood loss. The second individual was 40 to59 years old and clearly decapitated.
To make matters stranger, archaeologists also found six red deer antlers above and below the bodies. Some of the examples were more than three feet long. As Arkeonews notes, Iberian culture prized deer antlers for their utility as well as symbolism. Researchers have previously found numerous examples from the time period in votive deposits, sanctuary spaces, and other ritualistic contexts across the peninsula. Knowing this, the study’s authors theorize the bodies, placement, and antler accessories suggest they were potentially part of a protective or settlement ritual.
Archaeologists unfortunately do not possess enough information to fully understand this macabre Iron Age scene. Further isotopic analysis couldn’t pinpoint whether the men were locals, foreign enemies, or prisoners, and a lack of further context means their executions remain a mystery. If nothing else, it is abundantly clear that they suffered particularly bad deaths.
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